Stropping device



May 23, 1933. E. BULL y I sTRoPPING DEVICE Filed Dec. e. 1951 /M/E/vrO/-EUG EN E BULL. W

Patented May 23, 1933 EUGENE BULL, F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA STROPPINGDEVICE `Application filed December 9, 1931. Serial No. 579,91.

My invention relates to improvements in stropping devices for stroppingrazor blades of various safety razor types, wherein a frame forholdingand guiding a strop for longitudinal movement therethrou hoperatesin conjunction with means or automatically holding a blade to besharpened transversely inclined or obliquely to said strop, and also forautomatically reversing or turning over-said blade and holding the samein a'reverse angle, whereby both sides acter described having improvedmeans for` automatically reversing or turning over the blade to asimilar reverse angle when said stropping device ismoved in an voppositedirection.

A still further .object isl to provide guide rollers for offsetting saidstrop to an inclined position relatively to the plane of said bladewhereby the edge thereof may be properly engaged by said strop.

A still further objectisto rovide'a new and improved stropping devlcefor enga-g-y in and retaining various types of vsingle and double edgedblades, kas well as per-k forate and imperforate blades, and for hold-40 ing the same atan angle, transversely' to the strop, and for turningsaid blades over whereby both sides of the edges thereof may beeffectively stropped.

I accomplish these and other objects by means of the improved devicedisclosed in the drawing forminga part of the present application,wherein like characters of reference are used vto vdesignate similarparts throughout the speci'cation and drawing, and in which- Fig. 1 is aplan view of my improved device disclosing the position of the bladeholder when the device is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow;

Fig. 2 is a similar devicev disclosing the position of the blade holderwhen the direction of movement of said device is reversed, the saidholder being disclosed'in dotted lines to disclose mechanism beneath;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of Fig., l;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the opposite side of the device; l f

Fig. 5 is an enlarged broken longitudinal'` sectional view of the devicein operationv as taken online 5 5 of Fig. 1 in the direction indicated;l

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a detailedview of the blade holder disclosing the manner inwhich a 7 blade ofthe Gillette-type is held therein; n

and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 8 8 of Fig. 7 in thedirection indicated, illustrating the yieldable means for engaging andretaining a blade of the Gile lette-type.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral l is usedfto designate in generalwhat I term a frame provided with oppositely positioned longitudinalVslots 2 within which are slidably -mounted a pair of parallel rollers 3connected at their opposite ends by suitable plates 4 and 4.

The rollers 3 extend transversely of said frame l and are provided attheir ends adjacent the connecting plate 4 with gears 6 which do notmeshwith each other but which mesh with a gear 7 upon a pintle S whoseends are pivotally connected to the upper portion of the connectingplatev 4y and to a projection l9 upon the opposite side of the frame l,as disclosed in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing. The ends of the pintle8 are pivotally connectedto the upper portion of the connecting plate4.and the projection 9 by making a hole or bearing in said membersslightly larger than `the ends of said pintle 8.'v This will provide apivotal or universalr joint giving sulicient vholder 11, as disclosed inFig. 5 of the universal or pivotal movement for the required purpose.

A blade holder 11 comprises a pair of hinged leaves mounted upon thepintle 3, one of said leaves being fixed and the other rotatably mountedupon said pintle 8.

The leaves are detachably held in engage ing relation with each other,to hold a blade 12, by means of slidably mounted U-shaped members 14: asillustrated in Figs. 1, 7 and 8 of the drawing. One of said hingedleaves is also provided with a yielding retaining device for certaintypes of perforated blades, such as the Gillette-type, illustrated indotted lines in Fig. 7 `of the drawing. This yielding retaining devicecomprising preferably a iiatrspring 16 secured at its approximate centerto one hinge of the holder and having its ends bent at right angles toform extensions 17 passing thru aligned apertures 18 within both leavesof said holder 11 and engaging the apertures 19 of a Gillette-type blade21, held between said leaves, as disclosed in Fig. 7 of the drawing.

The frame 1 is provided at its ends with oblique guide rollers 22 whichare arranged at opposite angles to each otherand adljacent opposite endsof said frame 1, said rollers 22 being positioned above the rollers 3 soas to offset a strop 23, which passes under the rollers 3 and over therollers 22, to provide inclined portions of said strop to engage thebeveled edge of a blade 12 within the horizontally positioned bladedrawing.

A handle 24 is loosely mounted at its npper end to a transverse memberor portion 26 oi" the frame 1, as dis-closed in Fig. 5 of the drawing,which handle is provided to move the frame 1 longitudinally of the strop23, and the loose connection is provided so that the frame 1 may beautomatically adjusted proper position upon said strop, therebypreventing' a too rigid mis-positioned grip of the operator on saidhandle 211 from misaiigning the device during the stropping operation.

In operation, the strop 23 is threaded thru the Yframe 1, said stroppassing over the end guide rollers 22 and under the connected parallelrollers 3, as disclosed in Fig. 5 of the drawing.

The U-shaped clamping members 14 are drawn outwardly as disclosed indotted lines in Fig. 7 and in. full lines in Fig. S of the drawing,thereby readily permitting separation and opening of the hinged leavesof the blade holder 11.

If a blade 21 of the Gillette-type is to be stropped, said blade 21 isplaced between said leaves with the apertures 19 thereof embracing theextensions 17 ot the spring 16,

which will prevent said blade from mov ing within said holder when thesame is closed.

If any, type of imperforate blade 12 is to be stropped, the same isplaced in proper position within the holder, or between said hingedleaves, and when said leaves are closed the ends of the extensions 17 ofsaid spring 16 are engaged by said imperforate blade 12 and sprungoutwardly when said leaves are closed upon said blade and secured insuch closed position by pushing inwardly the U-shaped Clamping members14.

When the frame 1 is moved, by means of the handle 24, in the directionindicated by the arrow in Fig. 5 of the drawing, the frictionalengagement ol the strop 23 with the rollers 3 will move said rollers 3to the rear ends of the slots 2 of the frame 1, as indicated in saidFig. 5. As the pintle is connected at its geared end to the rollers 3and gears 6 thereon by means of the connecting plate 4J, and pivotallyconnected at its opposite end to the frame 1, the blade holder 11 willbe moved to an inclined or oblique position transversely of the strop23, which position is indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

As the blade 12 is thus held obliquely to the strop 23 in itslongitudinal movement across said strop, said blade will be obliquelystropped.y The frictional engagement oir' the strop 23 with the rollers3 during such stroke will tend to rotate the rollers 3, gears 6 and 7,and thereby the blade holder 11, in a direction which will tend to pressthe beveled edge of said blade 12 against the inclined portion of saidstrop which is oiliset by the relation of the guide rollers 22 to therollers 3, as disclosed in Fig. 5 of the drawing.

When the frame 1 reaches the end of the stroke, the same is moved in anopposite direction whereby the rictional engagement of the strop withthe rollers 3 will cause said rollers 3, gears 6 thereon and the gear 7,and pintle 8, to reverse or turn over the said holder 11 so that theopposite side of the edge of said blade will be presented to the surfaceof the strop. During the initial portion of the reverse movement therollers 3 will be moved to the opposite ends of the slots 2 which willmove the geared end of the pintle 8 to the opposite end of its slot 29,the pivotally mounted opposite end of said pintle 8 remainingsubstantially stationary. This will cause the blade holder 11 to assumean opposite and equal angle to that assumed during the previous stroke,as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2 oi the drawing, and the oppositeside of the edge of the blade 12 will be stropped at an angle oppositeto the angle of stropping of the first stroke.

This reciprocating movement is repeated until the blade has beencompletely and etliciently stropped. i

les

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. A stropping device comprising a frame tohold and guide a strop; a blade holder comprising hinged leaves; apintle connected to oneI of said leaves and having one end pivotallymounted4 within said frame and the other end slidable longitudinallywithin said frame; a pinion mounted upon said slidable end of saidpintle; a pair of connected rollers slidably mounted Within said frameand operatively connected to the pinion on the pintle, said rollersbeing actuated by frictional' engagement with a strop extending throughsaid frame, when the same is moved longitudinally on said strop, to movethe blade holder, and ablade therein, obliquely to said frame. and stropand to draw said holder and blade over said strop; and oblique guiderollers mounted within said frame and holding said strop in parallelrelation to the edge of a blade within said holder.

2. A stropping device comprising a frame to hold and guide a strop; ablade holder comprising hinged leaves; apintleconnected to one of saidleaves and having one end pivotally mounted within said frame and theother end slidable longitudinally withinA said frame; a pinion mountedupon said e slidable end of said pintle; a pair of connected rollersslidably mounted within said frame and operatively connected to thepinion on the pintle, said rollers being actuated by rictionalengagement with a strop eX- tending through said frame, when the same ismoved longitudinally on said strop, to move the blade holder, and ablade therein, obliquely to said frame and strop and to draw said holderand blade over said strop; and oblique guide rollers mounted within saidframe and holding said strop in parallel relation to the edge of a'bladewithin said holder and inclined with respect to the plane of said blade.

8. Ay stropping device comprising a frame to hold and guide a strop; ablade holder comprising hinged leaves; a pintle connected to one of saidleaves and having one end pivotally mounted within said frame and theother end slidable longitudinally within said frame; a pinion mountedupon said slidable end of said pintle; a pair of connected rollersslidably mounted withinsaid frame and operatively connected to thepinionfon the pintle, said rollers being actuated by frictionalengagement with a strop extending through said frame, when the same ismoved longitudinally on said strop, tol move the blade holder, and ablade therein, obliquely to said frame and strop and to draw said holderand blade over said strop; oblique guide rollers mounted within saidframe and holding said strop in parallel relation te Jehe edge ef e.blade within Seid helder and inclined with respect to the plane of saidblade; and a handle loosely connected to said frame for moving the samelongitudinally along said strop whereby said frame may be automaticallyadjusted relasame is moved longitudinally on said strop,

to move the blade holder, and a blade therein, obliquely to said frameand strop and to draw said holder and blade over said strop; obliqueguide rollers mounted within said frame and holding said stropinparallel relation to the edge of a blade within said holder andinclined with respect to the plane ofsaid blade; a handle looselyconnected to said frame for moving the same longitudinally yalong saidstrop whereby said frame may `be automatically adjusted relatively tosaid strop; and means for detachf ably retaining blades of theGillette-type between the leaves of said holder.

In witness whereof, I hereunto set my signature.

y EUGENE BULL'

